Wandering Emperor Penguin Turns Up In New Zealand; 1st Since 1967, 1,900 Miles From Home

[hatrack]

Wildlife experts said they were astonished Wednesday at the appearance of an Emperor penguin in New Zealand, some 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) from his Antarctic home. The penguin, a juvenile male, arrived at a beach on the Kapiti Coast, 40 kilometres north of the capital Wellington on Monday afternoon, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said.

It was only the second recorded sighting of an Emperor penguin in New Zealand, DOC spokesman Peter Simpson said, with the species' only previous registered appearance in the country on the South Island in 1967.

Simpson said he did not initially believe reports that the wayward bird was an Emperor penguin, the largest species of the distinctive waddling creatures, which can grow up to 1.15 metres (45 inches) tall.

"At first I though it must have been some sort of seal but we went and checked it out and to our immense surprise it did indeed turn out to be an Emperor penguin," he told AFP. Simpson said the bird appeared to be in good health and was taking regular swims to cool down in the relative warmth of the New Zealand climate.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Emperor_penguin_makes_rare_appearance_in_NZealand_999.html

[BonnieJW]

1. You see???

All it takes is a fat finger on MapQuest, and this is what happens.

[Yo_Mama]

2. Penguin Road Trip!!!

It would, of course, be a teenage male. Once they get the car keys....

A neat story, thanks for posting it.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Lost and ailing Emperor penguin moved to New Zealand zoo

Lost and ailing Emperor penguin moved to New Zealand zoo
Fears over the health of a young Emperor penguin stranded on a New Zealand beach have prompted officials to move it to a local zoo.
:00AM BST 24 Jun 2011

Peter Simpson, a program manager for the Department of Conservation, said the penguin was eating sand and sticks and that its health appeared to be deteriorating after four days on Peka Peka Beach on New Zealand's North Island.

A crew placed it in an ice box and drove it to Wellington Zoo.

Mr Simpson said if the penguin, believed to be a juvenile male, could be nursed back to health, it may be reintroduced to the sea in the hope it will swim back to Antarctica.

He said the worst case scenario was euthanasia, adding "that's not one we're looking at at the moment".

More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/8595767/Lost-and-ailing-Emperor-penguin-moved-to-New-Zealand-zoo.html

[Judi Lynn]

4. Ill penguin stranded in NZ is offered a lift home

Ill penguin stranded in NZ is offered a lift home
By NICK PERRY
updated 6/25/2011 6:57:53 AM ET 2011-06-25T10:57:53

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A young emperor penguin stranded in New Zealand has survived two medical procedures and now has an offer of a lift home.

Yet the aquatic bird that many are calling Happy Feet — after the lighthearted 2006 movie — is not out of danger yet. The penguin remained on an intravenous drip Saturday and faces another procedure Monday to remove more sand from its digestive system.

If it does pull through, a businessman wants to take it by boat to Antarctica next February.

Happy Feet arrived on Peka Peka Beach, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Wellington, last Monday, the first time in 44 years that an emperor penguin has been spotted in the wild in New Zealand. Typically, emperors spend their entire lives in and around Antarctica.

More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43534006/ns/us_news-environment/